License-plate holder



, 'se t. 27, 1 927.. 1,643,580

E. L. ETHERIDGE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed Aug. 22. 1925 14 INVENTOR [masflfiar' Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

' UNITED sTATEs ERNEST L. ETHERIDGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LICENSE-PLATE HOLDER.

Application filed August 22, 1925. Serial No. 51,739.

This invention relates to. license plate holders and particularly to devices of this class for receiving and Supporting the rear license plate of a motor vehicle in such manner' as to provide a complete illumination thereof and to protect the same. from the weather; and the object of the invention'is to provideqa casing in connection with which the license plate is mounted and said casing having an opening therein, through which the numbers and other data of the plate are visible, said opening being closed by a transparent panel; a further object being to provide a casing having .a chamber into which the numbers of thelicense plate open, with means at the top of the chamber for distributing light into the opening of the casing to illuminate the entire area :of the license plate; a still further ,object'being to provide in combination with the license plate illuminating means, a red light or tail light and astop light; and with these and otherobjects in view, the invention consists in a device of the class and for the purpose specified, which is simple inconstruction, eflicient in use and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in'the following specification, ofwhich theaccompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of myiimprovement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Fig. 1 is a face. View of my improved license plate holder, indicatingthe method of its use and with part of the construction broken away and in section. i

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale. z

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the deviceshown in Fig. 1 with parts of the construction broken away and in section; and,

Fig. 5 is a plan viewfof the device as shown in Fig. 4 with parts of the construction broken away.

In practice, I provide-a casing 10 preferably formed from cast metal and comprising an oblong, rectangular, box-shaped portion within which is a chamber ll saidcasing having a bottom wall 12, end walls 13 and 14. and a backjwall 15, the front wall being open asseen at .16 and said opening closed bya transparent panel 17 held in position by aframe 18 secured to the casinglO by screws 19. It is preferred that the panel 17 be composed of isinglass', transparent cel luloid or similar material, rather than glass,

although-glass may be employed, if desired. The endwall 1 1 is provided with an aperture 20,.tl1rough which a license plate 21 is adaptedto pass into the casing 10, said plate entering grooves 22 in the top and bottom portions of the casing as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing to retain the plate 21 in proper position, and a winged set screw 23 is passed through the back wall of the casing and engages the plate 21 adjacent the opening to prevent the rattling of the plate in the casing and also to prevent its displacement.

The top of the casing 10 is open as seen at 2 1 and the chamber 11 extends into two substantially V-shaped compartments 11 formed by contracted extensions 25 and 26 at the top of the casing, said extensions being of the width of the casing'and terminating in cylindrical housings 2.5 and 26 of greater width than the casing as clearly seen in, Figs. 2, 3 and-5 of the drawing. In the housing 25 is mounted an electric light socket 27 to receive an electric light 28 and the front of the housing 25 is closed by a detachablecap 29, which carries a red lens 30 representing the signal or tail light of the vehicle. The bulb 28 within the housing 25 is adapted to illuminate'that end portion of the casing 10 or the chamber 11 thereof into which the compartment, 11 is exposed, or

to the left of the casing 10 as seen in Fig. 1

of the drawing.

The housing 26 is divided by a battle wall 31 into top and bottom chambers 32 and 33, both of which are closed by a pan-e1 34 mounted in a detachable cap 35. The cap 35 is provided with a front or facing wall 36 of the form seen in Fig. 1 of the drawing wherein in an arc-shaped portion 37 is cut out to expose the transparent panel 34 therethrough to provide a stop signal light by illumination behind the arc-shaped cut out 37 which is provided by the electric light bulb 38 mounted in the chamber 32 or in a socket 39 provided on the housing 26*. Another socket 40 is provided on said housing for another bulb 41 which is positioned in, the chamber 33, the bulb 41 serving to illu minate the other end portion of the license plate or the end portion to the right in Fig.

1 of the drawing, as will be apparent. It will be understood that the diverging walls of the extensions and 26' form reflector iaces which facilitate the distribution of the 1 light over the entire area of the license plate,

1 cuit so that when the tail light is on, the

license plate will be completely illuminated.

The casing 10 is also provided with a baclzwardly directed bracket construction 42 which will be fashioned to suit its mounting to a' part l3 of a motor vehicle of any kind or class. With my improved eon structi'on, it will be apparent that means is provided for illuminating the entire license plate whereby the same maybe seen at night within a reasonable distance and at a greater distance than it is possible to readlicense plates with the present method of illumination. While I have shown and described certain details of construction for carrying my invention into ethectflt will be understood that I amnot necessarily limited to these details, nor am I limited tothe specific man- E nor of arranging the separate parts in the construction herein shown and described, and various other changes in and modifica tions of the construction herein set out may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure" by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described comprising an elongated box-shaped casing, the upper end portion of which extends into two sl-ibstantially conical members terminating in cylindrical bodies, a chamber in said casing opening into said extensions, means for mounting electric bulbs in connection with the cylindrical bodies of said: extensions to expose said bulbs to" the chamber of said casing, said casing being open at the front and a transparent panel for closing said opening, means for detachably supporting license plate in connection with said casing to expose the numbers thereof through the opening in said casing, means for mounting red tail lightinconnection with one oi said cylindrical bodies, and the other of said cylindricahbodies being divided into separate chambers, one of which is exposed to the chamber of the casing, and means for mounting an electric bulb in connection with reflector surfaces positioned at opposite sides of the casing and opening into the chamber thereof, an illuminating device for each refieetor'whereby" the distribution 0t light rays l rom said: illuminating devices is distributed over the entire area of the chamber within the casing, means for supporting and retain ing a license plate inthe" casing in such m anner' as to expose the numerals thereof to said light rays-and through theopen end of the casing, and a partition wall in the upper en'd 'ofone side of the casing, forming an independent compartment,- a signal lens exposed to said compartment and outwardly through: the casing, and an i-l'luminating'de vicein said compartment;

3+ A license plate' holder of the class described comprising an elongated hol low bon shaped casing, the: front wall of which is open, means: for mounting a license plate in connection with: the rear portion of the casing to expose the numerals thereof, and into the chamber of the casing and outward 1y through-the 0pen:front wa1l ,:the topof the casing being: extended to form two triangular portions, the walilscf which-diverge to form reflector surtaces opening into the chain-beret the casing, means tor supporting an electric light bulb at the upper end of each; triangular extension whereby the rays oat light emanating from bulbs mounted in the: casing are distributed over the entire area oi the chamber and over all of the numerals of the license plate mounted in the casing,- a red lens mounted in connection with one of the extensions in the casing and-exposed therethrough and ill ulninated by the light in such extension, and the other extension having a partition wall arranged above the bulb mounte (1 there into form a supplementa chamber, andanother lightbul-b adapted to be supported in said supplemental chamber and exposed through the casing to form astop signal.

Ad-evice of the class described comprising an elongated box-shaped casing having a chamber therein opening outwardly through one side wall of the casing, means for supporting a license plat'e in connection with the other side portion of the casing to expose the numerals thereof into the chamber' of the casing and. through the open wall thereof, the upper end of the casing extending' above the license plate supporting means and being fastened to format the opposite ends of the casing, two reflector portions opening into the chamber of the casing, one

of said reflector portions having a red nal lens, and independent bulb supporting lens exposed therethrough and the other means in the casing for illuminating said 10 having a stop signal lens, means for supstop signal lens. porting electric light bulbs in the reflec- In testimony thatI claim the foregoing as 5 tor portions of the casing one of said my invention I have signed my name this bulbs serving to illuminate said red lens, 21st day of August, 1925. means in the upper end of the casing for shielding the other bulb from the stop sig- ERNEST L'. ETHERIDGE. 

